Hollywood Sign Land Could Have Been Zip Line Park Or Secret Clubhouse

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As we reported last week, thanks to the $900,000 donation from Hugh Hefner just days before the deadline, the 138 acres of land around the Hollywood Sign has been saved.

“My childhood dreams and fantasies came from the movies, and the images created in Hollywood had a major influence on my life and Playboy,” said Hefner. “As I’ve said before, the Hollywood sign is Hollywood’s Eiffel Tower and I am pleased to help preserve such an important cultural landmark.”

The Trust for Public Land (TPL) will protect the land by adding the acreage to neighboring Griffith Park. But what may have been the fate of the land had it not been for the tireless work of TPL, generous contributions from donors such as Tiffany & Co. and Aileen Getty, and unwavering support from local residents, Gov. Arnold Schwarzengger, and numerous celebrities?

Of course we know the land had been slated for luxury homes, but Keith Dickson of Fox River Financial Resources, the Cahuenga Peak’s seller, told the New Yorker, “I had every real-estate investor in the world calling me, kicking tires. Lots of them were typical kooks and nuts.”

Prospective buyers included an individual who hoped to build a zip line park and another who wanted to use the peak for secret clubhouse meetings. With no serious offers, TPL was given one year to collect funds for the purchase.

We all know the outcome and thankfully L.A. residents will be spared viewing members of the secret dark cloak society zipping from the hills of Hollywood.